The Island Coast football program has undergone one of the most drastic culture changes over the last four years, going from one of Lee County's premier teams to one down on its luck.

In search of stability, the Gators hope they found it with the hire of Ida Baker offensive coordinator Jim Wiseman, the school announced Monday. He replaces John Schwochow, who went 3-26 in three seasons amid a mass exodus of players transferring to other schools.

Wiseman's wealth of experience playing and coaching at the Division-I college level as well as his experience as a head coach at the high school level and the stamp of approval from a Southwest Florida coaching legend moved his resume to the top of the pile, Island Coast athletic director Terry Thimlar said.

"He's the perfect fit for what we think we need to have here," Thimlar said. "He understands what it takes to get players to the next level. We think he's at the stage of his career to meet this challenge."

Principal Kristin Bueno echoed Thimlar's sentiment.

"His experience as a player and a coach, in highly successful programs, and his passion to bring student-athletes to reach their potential is an asset to our school," she said in a statement.

As a player, Wiseman, 53, was a first-team All-American center for Arkansas State where he guided the Red Wolves to the 1986 Division I-AA title game.

After a stint as a graduate assistant at ASU, Wiseman was the head coach at Jonesboro (Ark.) Westside High from 1998 to 2002. He served as an assistant coach under college roommate Binky Waldrop at Charlotte High where he helped the Tarpons reach five district titles, four regional championship games, and a regional crown.

Wiseman came highly recommended by Waldrop and former North Fort Myers coach and Ida Baker assistant principal James Iandoli, Thimlar said.

Prior to his return to the high school game with his alma mater Wildwood (Mo.) Lafayette and Baker, Wiseman was an assistant offensive line coach at both Arkansas State and Ole Miss.

"The men I played and coached for showed me how to build a program the right way, how to build a winning program and how to build relationships with kids and their families," Wiseman said.

Wiseman inherits a Gators team that is coming off a 0-9 2017 season where it surrendered nearly 50 points per game.

Since its inception in 2007, Island Coast has posted six winning seasons, but the program has yet to find a consistent voice since coach Joe Bowen stepped down in 2013 after six seasons.

Wayne Blair resigned in January 2015 after guiding Island Coast to a 10-3 record and a berth in a regional final. In March of that year, former Coral Springs coach Rashad West was introduced by Bueno only to resign less than a month later for undisclosed reasons.

The Gators didn't have a permanent coach in place until Schwochow's hire in June. The program saw a handful of defections from which he never recovered, going 2-8 in his first season and 1-9 in 2016.

In meeting with prospective players on Monday, Wiseman promised them he was there for the long haul.

"I'm a man of my word, and I'm here to go to work," he said.

As a former offensive lineman, Wiseman believes winning teams are built from the inside-out with the players up front leading the way and controlling the game from the trenches. If Island Coast is going to return to making deep playoff runs, that's how it will be done, he said.